Author's Note:
Hello and sorry for the long delay between the last update and this one but I did eventually boot myself into gear and got on with writing this chapter. Thank you everyone who is reading this and I hope you enjoy the chapter.
I own nothing.
The Last Struggle
As soon as Snotlout hit the water Toothless was off the ship and in the sea swimming to the spot where he'd gone down.
Reaching it the Night Fury submerged and began peering through the water trying to find the young one, he saw the sack containing the boy rapidly descending below him and he dived down after him. Toothless could see the sack jerking about as Snotlout no doubt struggled but all too soon the struggles got weaker. He could feel his lungs burn with effort as his own body began to demand air as well, he wasn't designed for swimming and the length of time he could hold his breath wasn't that much longer than a human could. He tucked his wings in as close as he could to lessen the drag of the water and to try and close the distance between him and the still sinking boy. Inch by inch the gap closed and he was feeling the strain on his body due to lack of air, he then noticed the sack cease jerking entirely and Toothless instantly redouble his efforts knowing that the boy needed to reach the surface and fast.
Rapidly getting close enough the Night Fury grabbed the sack and then, with his lungs screaming for breath, he powered his way back up to the surface and the air the imprisoned boy desperately needed.
On the ships, it was like the splash of Snotlout hitting the water was a starting horn and everyone exploded into action.
At the sight of his nephew falling into the ocean Stoick charged towards the ship's stern as Outcasts and Berserkers leapt in his way and forced him to fight, Gobber and the Berkians powered their own ship forwards to aid their chief and soon they were leaping aboard Dagur's ship and engaging the enemy, Dagur attempted to stab the distracted Stoick in the back but was interrupted by Gobber diving at him and was forced to defend himself from the enraged blacksmith. With an angry roar Hookfang and swooped down and landed heavily on the ship scattering enemy Vikings like ninepins as he swiped about with his wings and tail, Barf and Belch had gripped their tails in their mouth and the Zippleback was rolling through the melee like a runaway cartwheel while the twins gripped the underside of their necks. Some of the Outcasts and Berserkers were starting to board the other ship in an attempt to escape the fight but they were met by Astrid on Stormfly and Fishlegs on Meatlug, as the Nadder swiped Vikings to the sides with her tail the Gronckle was sending them flying overboard using charging head butts. Dagur and Gobber were locked in a one-on-one duel and the blacksmith was pulling off manoeuvres which a man with a false hand and leg shouldn't be capable of.
Dagur's men were losing the will to fight and were abandoning ship, with his number of opponents drastically reduced Stoick was soon at the ship's stern where Savage still was. The Outcast took one look at the enraged eyes of the chief of Berk and decided that his chances of survival were better in the ocean and jumped ship. By now Dagur was the only one left and with four dragons and several angry Vikings to contend with alone, he grabbed a handy plank and joined his men in the water, using the plank as a float he began paddling away ignoring the calls of his men. Astrid made to go after him but Gobber stopped her, "Leave him lass we've got something more important to worry about."
As if to emphasise his words a large splash announced Stoick's dive into the sea in a bid to find his nephew. Vikings hurried to the ship's sides and saw their chief surface briefly before he took a deep breath and dived again. There was a tense silence as the waited and what was mere moments felt more like hours until Stoick resurfaced empty handed. Gobber shook his head at his friend sadly, he knew that it had been far too long for Snotlout already but he also knew that his chief would not give up easily.
He opened his mouth to speak when a roar sounded from the other side of the ship.
All eyes turned in that direction and they saw Toothless bobbing about in the ocean, Snotlout's sack on his back. Quickly Hiccup got Hookfang to swoop down, pluck both dragon and Viking from the water and gently place them on the deck before landing beside them. A couple of men helped Stoick from the water and he dashed to his nephew's side as Gobber began tearing open the sack.
People gasped as Snotlout's sodden, limp form was pulled out. Gobber swiftly cut away the sea-swollen ropes that bound the boy and the cloth that gagged him. The man pulled out the cloths inside the teen's mouth but it was clear that Snotlout was not breathing.
Gobber immediately set about trying to get the boy to breathe as Stoick knelt fearfully beside him, on Snotlout's other side was Hookfang, Hiccup and Toothless and all three stared in desperation. No one dared speak as they waited for something, anything to happen and show that there was still life in the young body. Moments slipped away and some of the adults begun to bow their heads in respect, Gobber was about to give up when suddenly something amazing happened.
Snotlout retched.
The teen's body convulsed sharply and he roughly expelled sea water from it, there was several more moments of coughing, spluttering and retching as he got rid of as much water as he could before he finally took in a long gasping breath. His eyes opened weakly and stared right up at Stoick and he managed a weak smile, "Uncle…"
He then slipped back into unconsciousness and Stoick moved forward in alarm but Gobber placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Its all right Stoick, he's just exhausted that's all," he gestured to the boy, "look, he's breathing fine now."
Looking the chief could see the steady movements of the boy's chest and he could hear each breath. He gave a relived sigh and ran a gentle hand through the boy's hair.
Snotlout was back safely where he belonged.
The voyage back to Berk was quiet and subdued.
Snotlout was still in his exhausted sleep and was curled up on several furs and under a pile more, all donated by the members of the rescue team. Hookfang was loyally curled next to him and it was clear that the Nightmare was not going to let the boy out of his sight for a very long time. His various injuries from his time of captivity had been attended to by Gobber and Fishlegs, most were a result of his tight bonds so were far less serious than had been feared. Regardless, Gobber still suggested that Gothi see the boy as soon as possible, he had very nearly drowned after all.
Stoick was hovering nearby keeping a sharp eye on his nephew, he knew that Snotlout was not going to easily bounce back from what had happened and it would take a lot of work to get him back to normal. They had no idea what the boy had been subjected to by Dagur and although his physical injuries weren't serious, the mental ones were unknown.
From they could tell, Snotlout had been helpless the entirety of his captivity and that was something that never sat well with anyone. Being so out of control of what was happening to you was terrifying and while Snotlout had been in similar situations before, this one had been that bit more intense.
Gobber ambled up beside him, "He'll bounce back Stoick, don't ye worry."
Stoick lightly shook his head, "We don't know what Dagur might've done to him Gobber, that boy is a complete wild card and you know it."
The blacksmith patted his shoulder, "Whatever happened in the last few days, ye'll both find a way to deal with it, ye always do." He nodded, "Snotlout will be fine in the end, you and Hiccup will make sure of it."
The chief sighed, "I hope you're right Gobber."
PS-So there we go and please let me know what you thought and I will try and update again soon.
